


Brotherly LoVe

by SavvyHon



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Additional Warnings Apply, Age Regression/De-Aging, Christmas Fluff, Ectobiology, Emotional Roller Coaster, Flexibility, Fluff and Humor, Haphephobia, I'm too lazy for this tagging shit, Multi, Other, POV Alternating, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Tsunderes, Underage Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-04-13 22:15:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14121981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SavvyHon/pseuds/SavvyHon
Summary: LOVE: a way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt others.HOPE: a way of measuring someone's will to live.He forgot what it was like to be loved.He forgot what it was like to have hope.He forgot what it was like to be free.He forgot what it was like to laugh and smile.He forgot what it was like to feel alive.>> NOTICE! UPDATES WILL BE SLOW AND RARE! <<





	1. Unkind Fate

Pain overwhelmed his senses as he came to and opened his eyes. He was sorely tempted to just let the comforting, peaceful darkness sweep over him again like a dark cloak, temporarily blinding him from this awful reality. Too bad it wasn't permanent...

 

Besides, his owner hasn't come back in here for a while now, so that gives him an opportunity to sleep off the pain, doesn't it? Unfortunately, that isn't really the case here...

 

He knows that if he's asleep by the time his owner returns, he'll be punished.

 

Sans wheezes quietly as he shifts around on the the filthy, hard mattress, his ribs instantly screaming in protest against the action, and the chains that were binding him down rattled loudly, almost as if they were warning him against trying to escape again-- DARING him to try and escape again.

 

Okay, so... maybe moving around wasn't the best idea at the moment, given that this was not too long ago after his most recent punishment. He didn't know what he had done to DESERVE it, per say, but he wouldn't question it. He... couldn't do so anyway, even if he wanted to.

 

He settles down again with a grimace, heaving a small sigh of relief when the noisy rattling ceased as a result. The pain didn't exactly stop, but it DID recede a little once he forced himself to relax against the mattress.

 

Sans opened his eye sockets again, wondering when he had even closed them. Oh whatever, it doesn't really matter, the headache continuously pounding his skull to mush was making it incredibly difficult to think of such trivial matters anyway, so he just let himself lay there and stare at the wooden ceiling.

 

Heh... What else could he do? I mean-- it's not like he could just get up and walk around or something, so he might as well just stay still and let his mind wander a little, right? 

 

The battered skeleton recalled the strange monsters that have been going in and out of his owner's home for over four months now, wondering-- not for the first time-- who these strangers were and why they kept returning.

 

He hasn't ever SEEN them, of course, but he can feel their magic signatures when they're outside his owner's house, and he knew only monsters had magic that was THAT strong.

 

He doesn't know much else about these monsters, though he does hear what he thinks might be their voices every once in a while. He swears that a few of them sound suspiciously similar to his owner, but that could just be a coincidence. It's really none of his business anyway-- and he probably shouldn't be listening to their conversations, although all he would really hear is the sound of the voice...

 

Thinking about it now, that's a bit concerning. Eh, oh well. Unimportant. Just like himself.

 

Sans swallowed back the pitiful whimper that tried to rev itself up in his metaphorical throat and pressed his bare femurs together, desperately hoping that doing so would stop the sharp, consistent throbs in his lower region. He wasn't a MASOCHIST, he didn't particularly ENJOY feeling pain. Not that he actually has a CHOICE...

 

Well, he would have to bear through the pain and try not to make it even worse. He wasn't allowed to cry over something he had brought onto himself.

 

...COULD he even cry?...

 

He DESERVES this pathetic fate-- he DESERVES to be punished like the filthy whore he is. It was quite an ironic punishment, too, considering how the Underground went about things.

 

Another pang had him squirming in great discomfort, his faceplate scrunching up and his breath hitching as he tried to ignore the burning pain that pulsed uncomfortably in his pelvis, because he DESERVES this, doesn't he? He was nothing more than a disgusting little whore. A toy for his owner to play with and use as a physical--and verbal-- punching bag.

 

A toy that was beyond broken-- no, not just broken... SHATTERED. Shattered into a million, irredeemable pieces.

 

Maybe he should just give up and let death wrap it's arms around him in an everlasting embrace... Maybe he should leave this terrible fate behind and let himself fall to a pile of dust... Wouldn't that be so much easier? For everyone?

 

Who knows-- maybe his owner would be better off without his worthless ass to drag him down and burden him all the time. Then again, that would be abandonment, and pets aren't supposed to abandon their owners. It's supposed to be the other way around.

 

Sans would've smiled bitterly at the thought if he had the willpower to, but he just didn't care enough to arrange his malleable faceplate to create something that he knew would've been brittle and so, so painfully fake. He didn't know if he could even DO that anyway...

 

He grimly wondered what would happen if his owner were to ever get bored of him. Maybe he would finally dust him at that point, or perhaps his owner would just sell him to someone else, as horrifically unpleasant as that sounded.

 

It wasn't that far a stretch to think so, either, because his owner did threaten to do that a while ago. Granted, it was before he broke and became his toy, but it might still be in effect.

 

He flinched a little and instinctively shut his eye sockets when the wooden door suddenly opened and loudly slammed into the wall, and he shivered violently when a cold gust of wind seeped through the open door, nipping mercilessly at his bare bones. 

 

"How's My Little Whore Doing~?" His owner's breathy voice purrs next to his skull, and Sans stiffens when felt icy phalanges leave a lingering touch on one of his bony legs. The same voice chuckled at his reaction, and those cold phalanges inched further up his femur until they were within an inch or so from his pelvis.

 

Sans forced himself not to squirm as he opens his eye sockets for the third time since he woke up, blinking up at the looming figure above.

 

As he had already guessed, it was his owner. Who else would it be?

 

The smaller skeleton didn't answer the other's question, too preoccupied with trying not to flinch away from his touch. As he had already established, his owner's phalanges were cold. Uncomfortably so.

 

Besides, it's not like he could've verbally responded anyway, not with the muzzle that was strapping his maw shut and muffling any sounds he would try to make. He knew from experience that it was hopeless to try and speak even without the muzzle, as he's also wearing a collar that's repressing the magic he needs to be able to use his "vocal cords".

 

"No Answer? Oh, Pet..." The other skeleton tsked in mock-disappointment. "You Know How I Feel About _Disrespect_."

 

Fear coiled hot in his marrow, unthinkingly jerking away from his owner's touch. He felt like he wanted to cry, but his magic supply would have to be free for that to happen, and unfortunately...well, that wish is not going to happen any time soon. He's completely defenseless against him. Though crying would probably only make matters worse anyway...

 

Pain exploded in his cheek, and he was suddenly staring very closely at the wall, his panicked movements stilling as he tried to ignore the shrill ringing in his nonexistent ears. The ringing was starting to recede when his owner spoke again. "I Have Told You Very Clearly That You Are Not To Do What You Just Did. Do You Not Remember That?"

 

To avoid further punishment, he bobs his skull in the barest nod, very aware what was coming next and dreading it. It would happen, no matter what he did or how good a pet he tried to be. Everything he did would just result in the same thing every time his owner came in here.

 

Really, this wasn't so bad. It was painful in a lot of ways, sure, but it was PREDICTABLE, unlike the times where the other skeleton had come in when he was actually asleep for once. Waking up to that... It was-- it was AWFUL...

 

"So You Obviously Disobeyed Me, Did You Not?" 

 

He nodded again, the same cloud of apathy returning that's been surrounding him for years, even before this hell started. He forced himself to remain still as his owner lay a metacarpal his femur again, uncomfortably close to his pelvis. Now that he was reminded of that particular bone, he's suddenly feeling the sharp throbs again.

 

Oh right, heh heh...

 

It's all his fault in the end anyway, so why not add another thing to that ever-growing pile of blame and guilt? 

 

His owner seems pleased with the answer, because he smirks and withdraws his bony hand. "Good, Then You Know Your Bad Behavior Can't Go Unpunished. You Know How It Is, Pet." Just as he had suspected. "But I Digress, You're Weaker Than Usual--" Definitely rubbing salt in the wound. "--So I Suppose, As Your Owner, I Need To Feed You."

 

Feed...? Food? Eating??

 

Sans jerked a bit when the muzzle was suddenly loosened and slid down so that his mouth was accessible, and he began gasping as he was finally able to breathe properly.  The moments without the muzzle were becoming increasingly rare, so he would take every little chance he could get. 

 

A plate with some indistinguishable food on it was lain on his sternum, so he took care to be deathly still so he didn't knock it over and make his punishment worse. "There. Now Eat Your Meal." 

 

The smaller skeleton looked at the food. It was just barely out of reach from his teeth, and he couldn't do anything with his bound hands, so he was kind of at a loss here. Sans looked up at his scantily-dressed owner helplessly, failing to understand what he was supposed to do with such limited movement. 

 

Apparently looking at his owner had been the right choice, because the taller skeleton smirked and crouched down, picking the spoon up from the plate. "Pitiful Little Pet... Here, I'll Be Nice And Help You~" 

 

He allows himself to feel a bit of relief, briefly wondering how he didn't mess that up. Sans didn't get time to think on it much-- food was aggressively being shoved past his teeth, triggering a gag reflex when it went a little too far down his throat. He swallowed the food once he could pass the urge to throw up, and shuddered as it turned to magic.

 

"Such A Good Boy~"

 

Was that praise? 

 

...No, it was probably sarcastic or something...

 

This feeding process went on until the plate was cleaned. Sans watched as the plate was tossed away to join the ever-growing trash pile in the corner of the shed. He wondered why his owner refused to take them back with him. It's not like they really get a lot of plates down here, so--

 

Then he remembered that-- perhaps-- he didn't want Sans's germs in his house. Couldn't blame him there, right?

 

His owner gets down completely all of a sudden, his patellas on either side of the smaller monster's skull. He remembered that he still had to be punished, and he readied himself for it. 

 

He watched apprehensively as the other began to unbuckle his pants and push them down, revealing the pelvis, which had already formed the big, pulsating pink appendage. Seems like his owner's been neglecting it for a while.  


...And this is the result of that neglect.

 

This was going to very, very unpleasant, even more so than it usually was.

 

"Say 'aah'~"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this trash, please and thank you.


	2. Plans are made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yeah...What about him? Did'ja find something?"
> 
> ***
> 
> "i agree with my bro-- we'll leave early tomorrow morning. meeting dismissed."
> 
>  
> 
> *Explicit language and non-graphic violence.

Another monster "fell down" and bit the dust.

 

The fish monster, lean and muscular from years of exercising and training, stormed into her cozy little home and slammed the door behind herself, slapping the newest case on the kitchen table as she passed it on her way to the Hot Fridge-- she always mentally thanked the creator of this brilliant device-- in which she took out some golden flower tea she had made that morning. It was still pretty fresh.

 

Ah, nothing like a good cup of tea to soothe her nerves after a day like this...

 

Huh, maybe old King Fluffybuns was rubbing off on her some during their time spent together. Not that she'd be surprised or displeased by this... She actually viewed the king as a sort of father figure and hero. To be honest, having him rub off on her would explain quite a few of her odd... tendencies.

 

Yeah... let's use that term for it.

 

She sets the tea cup down on the table and then begins to peel her armor off, sighing while she carried her armor onto the stand she had eventually found for it. The stand wasn't perfect by all means, as it had come from the dump, but it made her life a whole lot easier, so she was thankful to the pathetic heap of metal.

 

Once that task was done, leaving her in her... slightly revealing outfit... the pretty monster slumped into a chair and released her hair from it's ponytail. The bright red hair fell down around her face while she resumed the consumption of her favorite tea, which really just disappeared as soon as she swallowed it. It still warmed up her entire body despite it being turned into raw magic instead of actually going down.

 

Well-- she wasn't going to complain. Not one little bit.

 

Damn, why did she choose today of all days to wear THIS outfit? She usually only wore this when she wasn't on duty-- also known as, practically never-- and it was one of her less revealing ones. Today, though, had been much too stress-inducing for her to consider leaving it on.

 

NO. She had needed to patrol through Hotland today, and for several hours, too! She probably would have fried if it hadn't been for the very modest robot-- she vaguely recognized him from that entertaining show she watched when she wasn't busy-- she would be a pile of goopy dust.

 

She mentally thanks the robot again, promising she would take.. him? Her? Them out for a drink as repayment. Just as that, though, she actually had a cru-- uh... Shit...

 

Her cheeks turned quite a few different shades of blue.

 

Now SHE was a true work of art-- SHE was a true BEAUTY...

 

Gorgeous butter yellow scales... amazing curvaceous shape... twinkling green eyes... adorable little glasses perched on a smooth snout... beautiful smile and laugh... so passionate, so shy, so kind... sexy w--

 

No... NO. She needs to stop this RIGHT. FUCKING. NOW.

 

...Uh, wait, what was she originally thinking about? Oh! Oh yeah! She had been complaining about how she had almost dried up in Hotland during her patrol today! Right!

 

Yes, she needed to change out of these clothes before she overheated again. 

 

The piranha-esque lady grimaces at the mere thought, and immediately starts wiggling out of her black crop top and skin-tight jeans and fancy lace socks, and then she threw the sweaty clothes in the laundry room to be struggled with at a different time. 

 

For now, she needs to relax after her difficult day and avoid choking on her tea if she so happens to think about--

 

> "♫ Every time you walk into room, got me feeling crazy~"

 

She gasped sharply as her phone began playing that all-too familiar ringtone, the teacup falling out of her spindly fingers and spilling on the tiled floor. As her scaly face began to burn an even darker blue than before, she fumbled for the little device, desperate to accept this call before it was too late.

 

"Aw, fuck! Fuck!" she yelped, because just as she managed to hit accept, the phone fell off the table. "Fuck! Why does this happen to me?! I'm such a klutz! NGAH! This is fucking ridiculous!...I'm glad she's not listening to me freaking out right now..."

 

Her soul froze when she heard a familiar, sweet laughter coming from the phone, which she had been about to retrieve, already crouching on the floor and reaching over to grab it. 

 

_"Undyne, I do hope you realize that you've accepted the call already."_

 

Oh shit, she forgot about that.

 

_"Hehe. I take your silence to mean you forgot again."_

 

"...Yes? Kind of?"

 

_"As I suspected."_

 

Undyne groaned and slapped her own cheek hard enough to leave a slight sting behind. "How the HELL did you even know?! Are you some sort of psychic, Alphys?!"

 

_"Totally, love."_

 

And there goes all her mustered-up confidence, just because of ONE WORD, stars-dammit!

 

"NGAAAH!"

 

 _"Ahehe! Anyway, um..."_ Alphys's good mood audibly deflated. _"I--I didn't call just for a chat, as nice as that'd be."_

 

"Oh!" Undyne straightens her spine, cursing quietly when she smacked her head against the side of the table. "Uh, what's up, Alph? Is there anything wrong? Do I need to kick someone's ass?!" she got more and more fired up as she went on.

 

_"Goodness, no! I just... Well, you know how Sans just... disappeared several years ago?"_

 

She frowned at the reminder, memories of the small monster replaying in her mind. Undyne recalled that she had a crush on him before she met Alphys-- during their stripe-wearing years. Sans had always been quite the comedian, even though his sweet, calm voice was a rare thing to hear. It was like Sans had been misplaced in their universe, because he didn't...well, he didn't get engaged in the affectionate activities, not even hugs. His sheer mysteriousness had been something that drew her in like a blind moth.

 

But, he had fallen off the face of their small world almost ten years ago. Nobody could find him, no matter how hard they looked. Snowdin citizens and anyone else who knew him had absolutely adored him-- he was their favorite comedian, he cheered them up and put smiles their faces, whether the skeleton knew this or not. Whether it be because of a crush or just buddy-buddy feelings, they would go out of their way to help him.

 

Yet those fun-filled, happy days were over, and he was just... gone-- as if he had never even existed-- but he had... "Yeah..." And she really misses him, and his awful puns and jokes. "What about him?... Didja find something?"

 

 _"It's certainly something, alright-- just..."_   Now that she was more focused, the guppy noticed, with growing dread, that the brilliant scientist seemed very sad, angry, and anxious all rolled up in one, and her voice was shaky, as if she were fighting off tears. _"P-please come to my l-lab as soon as p-possible. I'll e-explain the situation better then, o-okay? Just-- just please--please come over! I-I need your help-- You're the ONLY ONE I can truly trust about this, Undyne! PLEASE!"_

 

Undyne frowns when she hears soft sobbing on the other end, and her singular yellow eye got to faintly glowing. Who or whatever had gotten her sweet little lizard THIS upset will pay dearly... "I'm on my way, Alphys, just calm down and try to breathe, okay?"

 

_"O-okay-- alright... Please be careful, I-I really don't want you to get hurt b-because of me..."_

 

"Don't worry about me, Alph. I'll be fine. I'll see you in a few minutes, okay?"

 

_"O-okay... Bye, Undyne."_

 

CLICK.

 

Time to get some clothes on and go to Hotland again.

 

***

 

"...they were brothers forever, and friends even longer." The story came to an end, and Ink closes the book, looking down at his audience, who was supposedly sound asleep now. An adoring smile lit up his face as he leaned back in the wooden chair he'd always sit in to read to his brother.

 

The two siblings had always loved reading aloud to one another, and this story in particular was a favorite of theirs. It was the same with almost all of the other alternate universes, but that didn't make him upset in the least. In fact, it made him proud that most of the other skeleton brothers still kept up their little tradition, even if it was a little childish.

 

Speaking of the alternates...

 

Ink frowned as he recalled what had occurred a couple hours ago.

 

* * *

_"Ink, This Is Getting Too Far Out Of Hand!" A gracefully tall skeleton, covered skull to metatarsal in colorful stains, yelled over the vulgar sounds of battle to a similarly-dressed skeleton, although this one was quite a bit shorter._

_"you're right, paint!" Ink yelled back after he ducked under a knife that had been aimed for his vertebrae, and took a shortcut next to the taller skeleton, panting with his hands resting heavily on his knees. "this is getting really dangerous! i don't think this is a fight we can win right now, not without a little more help from other universes."_

_The monster, now identified as Paint, nodded his agreement and dismissed the magic that held together his weapon. "Shall I End This Dispute For Now, Brother?"_

_An enraged howl cut through the loud clashing of magic before he could respond. All motion stopped when they  heard the howl, some looking around in confusion and others tensing up in acknowledgement. Ink sucks some air in between his clenched teeth, and gave a small nod to his taller brother._

_Paint caught this and flashed a thumbs up, then cupped his gloved hands around his mouth, and yelled out to their allies. "RETREAT TO HEADQUARTERS!"_

_Several skulls turned around to look at him at the sudden noise after the howl, and slowly, they all gave affirmative nods and began shortcutting and rifting away to said-place. The two similarly-dressed brothers began to take their leave when they were sure that everyone was actually leaving._

 

_The enemies broke out of their silent stupor, and began to cheer and boast about their newest victory, taunting what was left of the retreating monsters._

_~~In void.~~ _

_~~Static. Dark. Friendly?~~ _

_~~Out void.~~ _

**_~~~_ **

 

 _"everyone! calm down!" Ink shouts over the confused and angry voices of the assembled monsters. They quieted when they heard the immortal skeleton's booming voice, nearly immediately turning their attention to him. He shivered when several eyelights fixated onto him in unison. He absolutely hated it when they did that-- it was really creepy!_ Okay Ink, don't get distracted! _"thank you. now, as i was saying, we need more help to win against them!"_

 

_"But Who Haven't We Asked Yet?" Classic Papyrus, or Rus as he was commonly called nowadays, pointed out their main issue. "Several Of Them Have Declined To Help Us, As They Do Not Want To Get Involved. Some Of Them Were On Our Rivals Sides."_

 

_"Rus's gotta point." Another skeleton says. This one is wearing a carrot-orange hoodie and light brown khakis with reddish-orange sneakers. Out of everyone in the group, he seems the most mellow. Judging by the sound of his voice, he's also probably pretty soft-spoken most of the time. "Who're we gonna ask? And what're we gonna do if they don't help us?"_

 

_Ink scratched at his cheek nervously as he contemplated their questions. "well... there's a bunch of aus we haven't asked yet, i'm sure at least one of them will help us. there's overtale, underkeep, storyshift, storyswap, altertale, alterswap-- ow!" he rubbed his skull and pouted at a smaller, edgier-looking skeleton with a mouth full of sharp teeth. "cherry! that wasn't very nice!"_

 

_"save the lecture, colorbutt. i don't give a shit."_

 

_Paint rolled his eyelights and spoke up before an argument could spark between the two. "Well, There's One Universe We've Had Yet To Visit..."_

 

_Now everyone's attention was averted to Paint, who flinched under the open-mouthed stares of shock and disgust. Although he knew the disgust wasn't directed at him, it still unnerved him. "ya gotta be jokin', dawg." one of them says incredulously-- the colorful, nineties nightmare._

 

_"No, Fresh, I Am Not Much Of A Comedian..." Paint says sheepishly. He knows the problem with this universe, but honestly, how bad could it be? "We Must At Least Try. We Will Need All The Help We Can Get."_

 

_"i agree with my bro," Ink says carefully, drawing their attention toward him again. "we'll leave early tomorrow morning. meeting dismissed."_

* * *

 

Ink stood up with a long-suffering sigh, sleepily placing the book on the nightstand beside his brother's bed. It wasn't a race car, per say, but it was still really cool-looking. At least in Ink's opinion it was. 

 

He stumbled over to his brother's bedside, meaning to kiss him goodnight-- on the forehead if you're thinking otherwise, sinners-- but he ended up just slumping over the bed a bit. 

 

His eyes were already closing when a pair of bony arms wrapped around him and pulled him up into the bed, amused chuckling meeting his audible senses.

 

Ink made a contented noise and curled toward his brother. "...g'night, bro."

 

"Sleep Well, Brother."

 

...They would finally go to Underlust tomorrow morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see if you can catch my reference. Also... here's a key for things:
> 
> ~~~= time skip.  
> ***= pov switch.  
> italics= flashback/visions/dreams/nightmares/caller on other side. 
> 
> You'll know what texts will look like when you see them.
> 
> If you're confused, just let me know down below in the comments, okay? I won't be offended or anything, I promise. Feel free to ask me anything! Criticism is also accepted, just don't be mean about it, please. Thanks, and toodles!


	3. Sting of betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm fucking hallucinating."
> 
> "If you are, then so am I."

Undyne's thoughts were a jumbled, incomprehensible mess by time she'd managed to get to Alphys's Lab. She actually used the Ferry for once, so it was even quicker than usual. On her feet alone, she was damn speedy.

 

What had Alphys found that shook her so badly? Did she even want to know? What did it have to do with Sans? Why is she the only person Alphys can trust? Is there something big going on? Is someone being hurt? Whose asses need kicking?

 

These questions didn't stop gravitating in her mind until the metal doors were thrust open, and Undyne almost snapped her summoned spear in half when she was met with the sight of the sniveling lizard staring up at her in this... unbearably sad way.

 

...It broke her heart to see the gal like this...

 

"Alphys..." 

 

The smaller monster sniffled and wiped away the tears from under the glasses. "I know, I-I know. I promise I'll explain, o-okay? Just-- just please come in before you o-overheat again." Alphys pleaded, and shuffled back so the fish monster had room to move by.

 

She sighs and nods in acceptance, because what use would she be if she overheated herself?

 

With that thought bolstering her, Undyne stepped past the doctor and into the cool laboratory, relaxing now that she was in the sweet, sweet AC's cool air. This may not be the right time to be complaining, but Hotland seriously BITES!

 

"...F-follow me to the camera room. Oh, and, uh, I'll answer your questions now, if you'd like."

 

Undyne watched her crush waddling away for a moment before she shook herself out of it and followed Alphys, immediately beginning to spit out the questions that's been torturing her ever since the phone call. Alphys patiently answered each and every one of her questions, her voice still quivering while she explained the situation and why she had asked Undyne specifically. 

 

It all boiled down to just one fact--

 

Sans was alive, and he needed some help.

 

IMMEDIATELY.

 

And as her steel boots clanked loudly down the halls on their way to the camera room, Undyne promised to both Sans and herself that she would make he is saved from that cruel fate... Or she will die trying...

 

After all, she's still the captain of the Royal Harem, and good captains protect the citizens at all costs.

 

Undyne would die fighting, or she would not die at all.

 

She was DETERMINED.

 

_**~~~** _

 

Rose-- Flowerfell!Sans-- stared at the chaotic cluster in front of him with no small amount of nervousness, red perspiration creating transparent stains on his skull as it rapidly rolled down. He clutches at the black and red striped scarf tied loosely around his bony throat, shivering when he realized the confused and angry shouts had only gotten louder.

 

He never did like being around others, even before Fr-- even before the seventh human "fell down", so it wouldn't be quite a stretch to say he would rather be anywhere but here right now. Hell, he'd even prefer to go to Underlust all alone if it meant getting away from this!

 

But he couldn't just abandon them all, especially his brother and their flower-free mirrors. It was odd to see an exact double of himself-- excluding his scarf and the little flowers that had ingrown inside his eye socket-- but it was nice to see that at least one of them didn't have to experience the heartbreak that he had faced years ago.

 

It still hurt his soul to think about them, even if they were happy thoughts and memories.

 

"Brother," He quickly jerked to attention and swiveled around, and he had to crane his skull back to be able to look the taller skeleton in the eye sockets.

 

As he had suspected from the word choice, it was his brother, whom everyone just called Golden, which was pretty accurate, given that he, too, had golden flowers ingrown from his bones. Though-- to his worrying-- Golden seemed to have a lot more flowers growing from his bones than Rose himself did. "Are You Alright? What's Your Status Right Now?"

 

"...t 'n l."

 

Golden frowned in concern, and Rose forces a small smile for the other. "'m fine, bro, really. jus' not comfortable with the commotion 'n all'a that." He tried to assure, but his attempt flopped dramatically.

 

"I Somehow Don't Believe You, But I Suppose I Haven't A Choice Right Now. The Others Have Decided To Leave Now. Are You Certain You're Okay Enough To Come?"

 

"i told'ja, 'm fine--  **golden** , even."

 

"That Was Awful, Even For Your Standards."

 

"i know, but yer smilin'."

 

"No I'm Not."

 

"yes ya're."

 

"Screw Off, Runt!"

 

"naw."

 

The two brothers shared brittle smiles as they rejoined the others who, thankfully, had finally calmed down some now that they were all ready to go. Again, thank the stars for that-- he'd been starting to worry if they'd just keep on shouting until their voices wore out! 

 

Ink clapped his hands to gain everybody's attention, and smiled when his attempt succeeded. "okay everyone! you may think this is stupid, but underlust is our only hope right now, so we have to at least try!" he says, a determined gleam in his glimmering, mismatched eye-lights. 

 

"kay."

"Fine."

"Whatever ya say, Ink."

 

There were affirmations from a bunch of the other alternates, but those three were the ones that stuck out to Rose the most. 

 

"Alright Then, Are We All Ready?" Paint asks, coming to stand beside his brother, who grinned up at him and bounced on his heels a bit at the other's arrival. When the colorful skeleton got a few nods, some "yes"s, and done-with-this-shit groans, he smiled and placed his hands on his hips. "Great! Then That Means We Can Head Out, Right Brother?"

 

"right!" Ink nodded, and Rose was surprised the creator's skull didn't fly off. Not that he disliked the enthusiasm, he actually adored it. He haven't felt such a thing for a long time, and even if he did, it would be nowhere near as powerful as Ink's enthusiasm.

 

"Then Let Us Go!"

 

*******

 

"I'm fucking hallucinating." Undyne choked out as her good eye stared at the little screen in disbelief, her shaking hands clutching at the desk at a flimsy attempt to keep herself standing on her unsteady, lead-for-legs. "I-I HAVE to be..."

 

Of all monsters to do something so awful, she would've never thought it would be her own best friend. 

 

Alphys was sadly watching the screen herself, tears pricking at the corners of her shiny green eyes all over again. "If you are, then so am I." She replied grimly, hating herself for having to break Undyne's heart like this. It was, unfortunately, a necessary evil.

 

The heartless fool didn't deserve the unfaltering kindness he's been shown by Undyne.

 

"But he would never--"

 

"Undyne, the proof is right in front of your face."

 

"I-- I just... Alphys, he's my BEST FRIEND..."

 

The lizard sighs and turns her eyes off the screen to peer at the taller monster. She had known this was going to be hard on Undyne, that it would take a while for the grim truth to settle into her stubborn mind, but there wasn't much time to let that happen by itself, there was someone who needed immediate help. "Undyne--"

 

"I know, but... how could he do such a thing? I- I don't understand..." Her heart clenched when she saw tears building up in the guppy's singular eye, but there was nothing she could do to ease the sting of betrayal. "Give me a moment, I-I need some time to think... I won't be long, okay?"

 

"..." The last time she had left Undyne to think, it had ended horribly, but... "Alright." 

 

Alphys shuffles out of the camera room quietly, glancing back at the quiet, still form of the captain before she closed the door behind her. She knew it wouldn't take long for Undyne to gather herself, so she wouldn't have too long to wait before she came out, practically steaming from the fins and thirsty for retribution.

 

And it turned out that she was right, as the tall monster came storming out of the room with her fists clenched, a hard gleam to her pale yellow eye, her scaled face was a blank canvas-- emotionless, but Alphys knew better than to assume she was feeling nothing.

 

No, she knew Undyne a lot better than that.

 

"Alphys," Undyne's voice was smooth and blank-- the perfect imitation of a captain long ago, the one that had fought bravely in the war between humans and monsters. "Put on the thickest and warmest clothes you have quickly, and make sure they're snow-white."

 

"Huh?" Alphys frowned in confusion at the sudden command, her tail curling anxiously at her side. She shook her head and scurried off to do just that. She may be the guppy's close friend, but she shouldn't push her limits by questioning her, especially when she was like this. Undyne was a ticking time bomb.

 

She heard the captain say one last thing before she rounded the corner to her room--

 

"I won't let you rot in there, Sans... I'll save you from that hellhole or I'll die trying."

 

There was no way this would end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference to "Broken Bones". See if you can catch it. Also, sorry about this one being super short. The rescue mission and anything that follows will be covered in the next chapter, that much I promise! And it'll most likely be a bit longer, too! 
> 
> Toodles till next chapter!


	4. Saving Sans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Fucking hell..."
> 
> "I-I feel s-s-sick... Oh-oh n-no..."
> 
> *abuse, broken bones, "blood", explicit language, disturbing images described... You get the gist.

_This is it_ , she told herself grimly. _This is when I have to accept the cold hard truth_.

 

The lithe monster clenched her fists and angled her head down, shoulders shaking as she struggled to hold her tears at bay. She'd never thought that the one monster she had trusted with her life would ever do something so horrid, so disgusting, so- so...

 

...She just couldn't understand. Why? WHY would he do this? To his own starsdamn BROTHER, nonetheless. 

 

"Undyne?" She flinced, and quickly rubbed her eye to rid of the salty liquid that had built up, then she glanced down at the scientist beside her.

 

"...He just left." Alphys informed quietly.

 

It was time to atone for her biggest mistake.

 

"Alright, let's break in."

 

Undyne sauntered over to the wooden shack that sat beside a cozy-looking, two-story house, and stared at the flimsy lock owlishly for a few moments, remembering the times that she had grinned and jokingly yelled for him to fix the stupid lock, but it seems like his short-term memory wouldn't allow for that. Or was it faked? She couldn't quite tell anymore.

 

Nonetheless, she's glad that it's the same lock-- it makes this a whole lot easier for them to get in and out. 

 

The captain grabs the lock and easily snapped it off, throwing the small piece of metal away like it was physically painful to touch for much longer. She then pushed open the wooden door slowly, careful to make sure it didn't squeak or creak too much and give them away, though she doubted he could hear them from wherever he went. 

 

And then she froze in horror, dimly hearing the sharp gasp of the lizard as she squeezed in by Undyne.

 

"Fucking hell..."

 

"I-I feel s-s-sick... Oh, oh n-no..." 

 

It was much, much worse than she had thought.

 

Everyone's favorite comedian from that decade ago lay deathly still on a disgusting mattress, his cracked and abused wrists and ankles bound down by heavy-looking chains that attached to the floor. A muzzle was fit way too snugly around his skull, probably affecting his breathing, if the heavy rise and fall of his rib-cage had a say in this factor. There was also an odd-looking collar resting around his neck. 

 

That wasn't all of it though.

 

No, no, no. The horror didn't stop THERE.

 

The skeleton they'd never tried to find during those ten years now lay silently on this filthy mattress, his bones looking far too brittle for her liking. There was a disturbing amount of an odd pink substance, both dry and fresh, splattered all around his body, mostly around his... lower region and his face. His dirtied yellow bones were a patchwork of bone marrow, deep and shallow cracks, small and big bruises, long and short cuts, and-- stars, were those claw marks?! Bites?!

 

This was the brother of her supposed "best friend".

 

A quiet whimper, just barely caught by her ear-fins, faintly touched the air, and his "eyes" opened. Opened to reveal the dark voids within. Within these dark voids, though, a faint pinprick appeared in each eye socket. He seemed to recognize them somehow.

 

Nevermind that-- it only mattered that he was ALIVE. That much alone was enough to slightly calm her trembling soul, though it didn't cease the constant stabbing. 

 

Undyne rushed toward the frail monster, falling on her knees beside him.

 

"Don't worry, Sans, I swear I'll get you out of here." She promised him.

 

Sans just gave her a confused, sad stare. This causes her to juggle the idea that-- perhaps-- he thought he deserved this.

 

She wasn't stupid-- she knew what some rape victims' mindsets grew to be; that they deserved what they got. And with Sans already having been depressed before, what was it like now?

 

With a fit of anger directed at the THING that she had dared called a friend before, the fish monster began to snap the chains from his wrists and ankles, though it took a bit of effort not to break his brittle bones along with the rusty metal. She could safely assume that she did a good job of reining some of her strength in, as she didn't see him wince at all.

 

Or perhaps he had just gotten to the point where he barely feels pain.

 

"Alphys, check his position please. I need to know how much time I have left." Undyne says quietly to the lizard, who nodded and looked at the little screen in her hands. Meanwhile, Undyne focused on getting rid of the muzzle.

 

She knew he was a skeleton, but he certainly still needed to breathe. He was, after all, a monster, and a monster was still a creature that breathed like humans and animals alike. 

 

"Sh-shit!" Alphys suddenly cursed, startling both Undyne and Sans. Sans had been watching the fish monster work, tired, sad, and confused. Now he looked at the lizard. "We-we need to get out of here, and quick! He's on his way back!"

 

Undyne spewed a vulgar swear under her breath, and with all the gentleness she could muster in her moment of panic, she swept him off the mattress and sprinted out of the wooden shack, earning a sharp intake of breath from said-skeleton. Soon enough, Alphys were running after Undyne as quick as her short little legs could carry her.

 

They definitely needed some transportation help from the River Person.

 

**~~~**

 

This universe wasn't all that bad compared to what he's been told. Other than the revealing outfits that everyone wore and the public displays of affection, there was nothing too vulgar about Underlust.

 

In fact, Death quite liked this place. He felt the happiness, the contentedness, the love that their souls all gave off. ITt also showed on their faces, in their actions, in their eyes if they had any... It was so peaceful here. There was so much life in this version of the underground, unlike some other universes.

 

Death didn't want leave this wonderful place.

 

A small smile was fixed on his face as he floated over to another citizen. This citizen being a yellow reptilian monster with no visible arms, a grayish-pink bow, big brown eyes, and a yellow and brown striped shirt. Death recognized this monster; it was this universe's Monster Kid, or MK for short. This ought to be an interesting interaction.

 

"Yo!" The child greets him excitedly, and Death immediately notes that this MK sounded slightly feminine unlike the others, whom were all fully non-binary. "Dude, you look SO cool! Are you a skeleton?! Oh man, I can't wait to tell that other dude that he's not alone anymore! Haha!"

 

His small smile falls at this small bit of information, and he tilted his skull the slightest bit in curiosity, silently willing the child to keep talking about this "other dude". The way MK had worded that was quite odd.

 

"Yo, you look pretty similar to that funny guy that used to live here when I was a toddler!" MK's mood noticeably droops, and their face pinches up in sadness. "He was so nice and cool, too..."

 

"Alone", "funny guy","used to", "was"...

 

Death was beginning to think that something bad had happened to this universe's Sans, but how long ago has it been? It seems like it might have been several years ago when he replayed their words in his mind. What had happened to him? Is he still alive? Or--

 

"Yo, it looks like you have a few questions, dude! Shoot, I'm a good listener!" 

 

The reaper flinched a bit, then just blinks at MK, having forgotten where he was for a moment. Unfortunately, this does happen quite often when he gets lost in thought. Unavoidable, really.

 

Once the words clicked in his mind, he averted his gaze, uncertain if he should even consider talking. It's not that he dislikes his voice or anything, he just... Well, he just doesn't like talking unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

And this is one of those times, it seems. But what should he ask first?

 

"...who was he?" he finally decided on after giving it some thought. "'n what was he like?"

 

MK rocks back on their heels with a sad, nostalgic smile. "Oh man, names are difficult for me to remember, but I think the dude's name was Snas or something. I don't know much else about him, other than that he really liked his silly puns and jokes!" They giggle a little, but it falls flat as they quietly went on. "...He used to do comedy shows in Grillby's and Mettaton's resort until he disappeared about ten years ago."

 

So his suspicion had been correct- something had happened to this world's Sans, but it seems like he just fell off the face of the underground. It was almost as if the guy didn't exist, and he found that odd, because all universes had the same characters. They may have died, scattered across time and space, gotten lost, etcetera, but that didn't erase them from their universe's code. Not really, anyway. If a character was erased from the universe's code completely, said-universe would start to collapse on itself, depending on how important that character was.

 

And not that he's trying to toot his own horn, but all Sanses are extremely important to their universes, especially the ones whose universes are already slightly unstable, even with all of the characters still in the code. 

 

Underlust wasn't collapsing, though. That meant that their Sans certainly hadn't been erased from the code, yet it still opened up several other possibilities.

 

He would need help on this confusing case, and who better to ask than the captain and her nerdy love-interest/sidekick themselves?

 

"hey kid, d'ya know where i can find some sorta leader 'round here? well, besides the king, 'course." He inquires vaguely, MK straightened up, appearing somewhat surprised.

 

"Sure thing, dude! Just follow that path into Waterfall and you'll definitely find only the COOLEST MONSTER EVER lurking around!" MK advises, pointing their spiked tail over to a nicely cleared-out path that stretched far into the distance. "Good luck, dude! I better go, my parents gotta be worried by now! See ya!" 

 

They flash him a sweet smile, and begin to run off, before face-planting into the snow. Death chuckles as he watched the kid somehow pull themselves up, blushing in embarrassment, then attempting to run off again. 

 

"see ya, kiddo." 

 

Death's laughter fades once MK was out of range, and he pulls his hood farther over his skull while he starts down the path, floating a couple feet off the ground as to not wither anything with his touch.

 

Time to solve this unsettling mystery.

 

**~~~**

 

**Crunch, crunch, crunch!**

 

...What caused him to turn out like this?

 

**Crunch, crunch, crunch!**

 

...How had she been so blind to it all? 

 

**Crunch, crunch, crunch!**

 

...Was their deep friendship really feigned?

 

**Crack.**

 

Undyne glanced down at the branch under her foot, and just stared at the new crack marring the bark-- like a soul losing HOPE. 

 

...Maybe that's what that sound REALLY was-- the hurt from a best friend's betrayal slamming into her soul like a giant hammer. 

 

Undyne sighs, drawing a pair of hazy eyelights to her, to which she offered a weak smile in return, trying to assure him that she was fine without using words as to not alert Alphys. The poor gal was already up to her snout in work-- she couldn't burden the doctor with her unimportant bullshit.

 

"Tra la la~! Do you need a ride~?" 

 

"Y-yes please."

 

"Where shall we go today~?"

 

"To H-Hotland."

 

"Off we go, then~!"

 

Undyne shifted her hold on Sans as they climbed onto the boat, making sure the lab coat that Alphys had wrapped around his shoulders was still covering his private parts well enough. 

 

First things first: they needed to take care of Sans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is, he's saved now.
> 
> I'm actually pretty proud of myself for once! (also, if you don't get it, MK is 10-13 years old.)


	5. Injustice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> *Rape (slightly graphic so be warned), explicit language, broken bones, "blood".

_He had been right in his expectations, because this was AWFUL._

_Sans gagged when the glowing appendage thrust uncomfortably far down his throat, trying to ignore the sharp prick of pain that was brought by his owner's sharpened phalanges scraping along the frail bone on his skull. He was hyper aware of the thin trails of blood dribbling down his skull, most likely further dirtying his ugly bones._

_"Swallow."_

_Immediately after the order registered in his mind, a sour taste exploded in his mouth, and he struggled not to spit it out and make his owner angry again. Sans shuddered after doing what he was told, and he finally reopened his eye sockets as his owner pulled away and buckled up his pants back up. Then he strapped the muzzle back onto Sans's skull and tightened the straps to make it just shy of painfully tight._

_"You Are Such A Good Pet~" The other skeleton cooed, and all Sans could do was blink in acknowledgement, as he was too tired to do much else. "I'll Be Back Soon, So Be Awake For Me Or You Will Be Punished Again. Do You Understand Me, Pet?"_

_He bobbed his skull slightly in an affirmative. "Good. Now Bye Bye~"_

_His owner walked out, closed the door behind himself and, judging by the quiet click he heard, locked the door so nobody could get in or out._

_Sans allowed himself to relax a little now, his whole body sagging back into the filthy mattress. It probably wasn't ideal to relax right now because he might fall asleep, but he just didn't have the energy to keep himself tense. Besides, "soon" could range anywhere from half an hour to three weeks._

 

_It hadn't been that long-- he could never for the life of him tell how much time passed without a clock-- before he heard some strange noises from outside, and he was nervous. Was his owner already back? That was really fast. His owner never returned so soon after a punishment..._

_CHINK! CHINK! CRACK!....CREAAAAK..._

_"Fucking hell..."_

 

_"I-I feel s-s-sick... Oh, oh n-no..."_

_Neither of them sounded even remotely like his owner... If not his owner, then who was in here with him? It's not like it really mattered anyway, as he knew that he would never see them again after his owner saw them in here, but he couldn't help being curious._

_And so he opened his eyes again, lifting his skull a little to peer at the intruders. They sounded pretty familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why-- oh. OH._

_A small surge of energy shot through his bones as he stared at the two familiar faces. They had definitely grown up a lot from... How long has it been again? He felt like it's been years, but time had lost all real meaning to him. He feels bad though, because he kind of forgot their names. He knows their names sound something like Alphyne and Alfish. All he remembered about them was calming down an angry guppy with soft words and making a sad lizard smile with his stupid jokes and puns._

_The taller intruder ran over and stooped down beside him. It was understandable if she was cold-- the air was ruthless out there. Maybe she wants a hug to warm up? Well, he can't really hug her back if that's the case... "Don't worry, Sans. I swear I'll get you out of here." the familiar monster says solemnly._

_Don't worry about what? Get him out of where? The last person who came in here and saw him said the same thing, but his owner had found them before they could even explain what they'd meant. He just didn't understand. Maybe she meant out of the shed, but he can't leave. He's a bad pet, he deserves to be stuck in here._

_A flash of anger crossed her face, and he nearly flinched as her fists came down and struck the rusty chains binding him down. He stared at the snapped metal, then turned his stare onto her in awe. She was so strong! Much to his surprise though, she didn't stop at one. She began to break the other ones, and he grew nervous. His owner had been adamant that they stay on, but she was just breaking them without a care... Wasn't she going to get in trouble with his owner?_

_"Alphys, check his position, please. I need to know how much time I have left." The fish-looking monster addressed the smaller intruder, whom he could now identify as Alphys. Aha! See?! He was really close!_

_...Wait-- check who's position? And time for what?_

_"S-shit!" Alphys suddenly cursed, and Sans flinched in startlement. His attention slid away from the monster fiddling with his muzzle, focusing on the little yellow lizard. "We-we need to get out of here, and quick! He's on his way back!"_

_Why-- know what? He's done asking questions. It's not like they can hear his thoughts anyway. Tch. He's so stupid for thinking they could've in the first place._

_The one who had broken his chains spit out a swear too, and he gasped through the loosened muzzle when she suddenly scooped him off the mattress like he weighed nothing. To his horror, she then sprinted right out of the shed with him in her arms._

 

_That was a BIG no-no!_

_There was nothing he could do, though. He couldn't speak, he was too weak to get away... Really, what else could he do besides let it happen? Maybe his owner would understand. His owner knows that he can't really do anything about this, so why punish him for something he can't prevent?_

 

_...Right?_

_Sans heard Alphys huffing and puffing behind them as she most likely followed, and he mentally sighs. Of course his owner would punish him, what was he thinking? Maybe it'd be less severe. "Maybe" is all he can hope for._

_For now, he would just relax. They seem nice, if not a bit weird and confusing, so he had no real reason NOT to trust them, right?_

 

**_~A FLASHBACK TIME SKIP BROUGHT BY TEMMIE!~_ **

 

**_Crunch, crunch, crunch!_ **

_Why does she look so sad?_

 

**_Crunch, crunch, crunch!_ **

 

_Oh no, she's angry now..._

 

**_Crunch, crunch, crunch!_ **

 

_And she's back to being sad...?_

 

**_Crack._ **

 

_He watched her glance down at something on the ground, and he was concerned when he saw the hurt and betrayed expression flash across her scaly face. What was making her so sad? He doesn't like seeing her sad- it feels wrong... Sans forced himself look away._

 

_The guppy's dejected sigh draws his attention back to her, though, and he internally freaked out when he accidentally makes direct eye contact with her. That was a no-no! He was NEVER supposed to do that! As if she sensed his growing concern-- and his inward panic-- she offered a small, toothy smile, and he just blinked at her in return, unable to comprehend the kindness being shown to him._

 

_He heard Alphys speaking to the River Person a little up ahead._

 

_"Tra la la~! Do you need a ride~?"_

 

_"Y-yes please."_

 

_"Where shall we go today~?"_

 

_"To H-Hotland."_

 

_"Off we go, then~!"_

 

_The fish-looking monster seemed to jump back to reality, and she shifted her hold on him, pulling the weird white fabric-- lab coat?-- further around his body. Probably to make sure nothing was showing. That was for the best, as nobody would want to see his ugly bones._

 

_He looked around curiously as she carried him onto the boat, trying to understand the feeling of familiarity he felt towards this place._

 

**~~~**

 

"Wa ha ha! Yer lookin' fer Undyne, ya say?" 

 

Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised that the old turtle had butted into the quiet conversation he'd been having with Shyren. Although he was very old-- like almost as old as the king of monsters himself-- Gerson always showed an excellent auditory sense, so he would hear things from a fair distance away. And he was just plain nosy, that was certainly a big part of it too.

 

"yes." Death answers back, realizing that Shyren had already scurried off. That was okay, though. He knew how Shyren was, so he couldn't exactly blame her. Besides, Gerson might have more answers, as in most universes, he had taken Undyne under his wing.

 

Or in his case, shell. Heh.

 

Gerson grins and gestures him closer, to which he obliges. "Last time I saw the gal she was in a rush. Off ta Hotland ta see that royal scientist of hers, I bet! Wa ha ha!" The old turtle chortles, and he smiles at the familiarity of the other monster. Gerson was someone who hardly ever changed in any of the universes. In 'Fells he may be a bit meaner or cruder, but he's still the same old turtle.

 

"thank ya, sir." Death gratefully says to Gerson, and began to head off to Hotland. Time to see the River Person, he supposed. He couldn't just shortcut, as he didn't know the map of this universe. Each one was just slightly different-- there was a huge possibility it would throw his shortcut way off wack.

 

"Wait, lad." He froze mid-step, turning around to curiously stare back at Gerson. "Make sure the guppy's l'right, will ya? I know yer not from this universe, but she's still an Undyne."

 

This was the first time that a Gerson-- besides his own-- expressed knowledge of the universes. But then again, he shouldn't really be surprised. This IS Gerson, after all.

 

The reaper offered a small smile and nodded in response to the war veteran, because he was right: this Undyne WAS still an Undyne. Even if they lived in separate universes, he cared for Undyne. He cared for-- almost-- all Undynes.

 

Gerson grinned back and waved to him cheerfully. "Thank ya, lad! Safe travels!"

 

He waved back, then continuing onward. He frowned at the empty area the River Person was usually in, and took a wild guess that they had already moved on to another place.  He couldn't just sit here and wait for them-- that would take a few hours at minimum.

 

Looks like he's walking.

 

**~ANOTHER TIMESKIP BROUGHT BY TEM!~**

 

It had been a little more than half an hour of walking and being stopped by random monsters before he managed to get to the hottest area of the underground, and he was seriously having regrets about deciding not to wait for the River Person. He could've waited a little while, couldn't've he? 

 

Oh well, it was too late for that now. He was here, that's all that matters.

 

A hand suddenly clasped his shoulder, and Death jerked away, swiveling around and swinging his scythe at the potential threat-- all in a matter of a blink.

 

He realized it was just one of his alternates far too late. To his relief, the other skeleton jumped back before the destructive weapon could touch him, the colorful abomination's arms pinwheeling as he teetered backward and fell back on his ass. "woah, broski! chill!"

 

"sorry. i guess ya just spooked me to the **bone**." Death winks and shrugs carelessly, cracking a smile when Fresh visibly relaxes at his joke. He didn't think he'd ever scare the ninety's nightmare, but he had-- shockingly-- done so with one swing of his scythe out of self defense.

 

He's actually pretty proud of himself.

 

"anyway, bruh, where's ya goin'?" Fresh asks as he hops back up, grinning up at the reaper as if nothing had happened. Death would go along with it as long as he didn't mention how the reaper had lost his cool. That was embarrassing, but the fact he had scared this "fresh" version of him made up for it.

 

"to alphys lab. i need to talk to this universe's undyne." an amused grin upturned the neutral line on his face. "why? do ya plan on coming with me?"

 

"...yes?"

 

Death chuckled and nodded. "you're free to, but i can't promise i won't make it a **death** ly experience."

 

"bruh, no!"

 

"heh, what's wrong? i thought you liked puns?"

 

"i used ta, dawg! until you unfresh bros ruined them!"

 

"aw, but don't ya enjoy hearin' some **fresh** material?"

 

"stop tainting my radical name!"

 

**~~~**

 

But that had been a while ago.

 

Now, Sans was sitting on an examination table while Alphys assessed his injuries and something or other. He didn't know, he hadn't exactly been paying much attention to her when she explained what she was doing. He had been too busy looking around in awe and confusion. Everything seemed so familiar to him, but why? Better yet, why does he feel like he's forgetting things? He doesn't like forgetting things...

 

He was startled from his thoughts when the pressure-- although it had been loosened by the fish monster, it was still uncomfortable-- on his skull completely vanished, and he looked back at the lizard monster, surprised when he saw the muzzle being tossed away into a nearby trashcan. Why was she throwing it away? Wouldn't she need to put it back on after she did whatever she needed to with his mouth?

 

Alphys didn't seem to notice his growing confusion, as she continued her mumbling. "...Collar needs to come off now...but how?...Maybe it's not... It's worth a try..."

 

Her hands reached for his vertebrae, and he grew nervous. Why did his collar need to come off? It wasn't hurting him or anything, and his owner had told him to never even try to take it off!

 

Sans tried to jerk away from her, but she had already grabbed the collar in her blunt claws. He flinched and shut his eyes tightly as the weight of the collar was removed, slowly and carefully. She could've just ripped it off and he'd be fine other than his neck being a little roughed up, but he supposed she was just too nice to have a desire to cause him any pain. He really doesn't deserve any of this kindness.

 

"Hey, hey, don't be scared, Sans. It's okay." He felt a scaly hand gently rub at an uninjured spot on his skull, and he was surprised when his sternum began to vibrate a little and produce a strange rumbling sound. "Oh, are you- are you purring?"

 

He blinked open his eyes and peered at her in confusion. Was he purring? Did skeletons do that? He couldn't remember if they did or not. He supposed it wouldn't be too absurd if they did purr, considering everything else.

 

Alphys smiled at him, and he tried to mimic her expression. He didn't remember what a smile felt like, but he was pretty sure whatever his face was making was NOT a smile. She didn't seem bothered, though, because she just rubbed his skull again and called for the other. "Undyne!" 

 

Oh yeah, that's a thing. He had also learned the fish-lady's name a little while ago. As Alphys had just said, the fish lady was named Undyne. Hah! He had been close to correctly guessing both of their names! Finally something to be proud of.

 

"Yeah, Alph?" Undyne's head popped around the door jamb, her single eye looking from Alphys to Sans curiously. The blue situated in her face amused him greatly.

 

"He should be ready for a bath now." Alphys said with a small smile and a blush of her own. "Um, I mean, if it's okay with him. Sans, are you okay with having a bath? I hope you don't mind, but one of us will have to help you wash up."

 

Sans just stared. There it was again. That word. SANS. He's been hearing that word being thrown around. Was that his name? He can't really remember, but it feels wrong to him-- like it's been tainted. He can't force them not to call him that, though, that'd just be ASKING for punishment!

 

Wait, she asked a question, something about a bath?! Could he actually have one? He didn't care if they had to be in there with him, they already saw him bare bones already, so what does it matter?

 

He eagerly nods, desperately hoping that it wasn't just a trick. 

 

Undyne chuckles and walks over, picking him up from the table and adjusting him in her arms so she could carry him comfortably. He nuzzled into her happily. He felt really weak, as he always did, but he somehow had enough strength-- and energy-- to move around so much.

 

"Alright, then that's settled! Fuhuhuh!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, at least he's finally out of there, huh?
> 
> (Also, yes, I kind of backtracked into last chapter to put things into Sans's perspective. Things are always a skeleTON grimmer in his point of view. All-italics is flashbacks/dreams. I may or may not have already said this...)
> 
> The events in italics and Death journey is separated by a little time gap. What I mean, is that while he was questioning MK, Undyne and Alphys had already saved Sans. And when Death arrived in Waterfall and talked to Gerson, they had already arrived at the lab thanks to the River Person.
> 
> The flashback is just Sans reflecting on what had happened after they've arrived at Alphys's lab.
> 
> Feel free to ask questions if you're confused! :)
> 
> Oh yeah, and I updated the other chapters. The biggest change is that he had been missing for longer- ten long, painful years. You might wanna check it out.If you don't, that's cool.


	6. Fuzzy warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was finally clean, and then the grim reaper and a colorful nightmare show up without warning. Things proceed to just go downhill from then on.
> 
> *explicit language, threats of violence, anxiety attacks.

The bath that followed Undyne's declaration was extremely awkward for Alphys and herself. Sans, however, was completely nonplussed by it all. He probably couldn't find the will to care anymore. The thought made Undyne's magic spike up dangerously. She had tried-- and still was-- to suppress her anger so she wouldn't scare Sans, but it was like he already knew what was going on, as he kept glancing at her with wide eyes and a sort of fearful anticipation.

 

It struck a place deep within her soul to see such a look directed at her, but she couldn't really blame him. After all, he probably didn't even remember them all that well, if at all. For all he knew, they could be some cannibals getting ready to eat him or something or the other. 

 

She herself didn't really contribute much to the cleaning unlike Alphys, whom was the one to scrub the dirtied and shattered bones clean. She simply handed Alphys the things she needed, like some soap, or that weird bubbly stuff called hydrogen peroxide or whatever.

 

After about a hour and a half-- or perhaps it had been longer, time was hard to tell Underground-- the cleaning process and the dressing of the wounds had finally been completed, and now Sans looked a TON healthier than before! That disgusting shit was all scrubbed off, his bones were white again, and his wounds were all disinfected and bandaged! 

 

Now to get some warm clothes on those skinny-ass bones!

 

~~~

 

Undyne stared at the skeleton with a huge grin and her hands on her hips. She noticed that Alphys looked just as happy as she did, her back straightened from the slump it'd been in earlier. That was good-- she didn't like it when her favorite lizard was sad and stressed.

 

They had gotten some clothes on him, but not without a bit of struggling because everything wanted to snag on his bones, or they just flat out fell off of him because of his small stature. It wasn't like he was insanely small or anything-- like I've made the Sanses in my other stories, sorry not fucking sorry-- but compared to a majority of the monsters, he was probably on of the shortest adult monsters. There were the Temmies, but nobody could tell if they were kids or adults, and nobody wanted to get close enough to find out.

 

Anyway-- wow, she got sidetracked again. Go, Undyne!--

 

Now Sans was donned in one of Undyne's cat hoodies and some matching sweatpants, with Undyne's beloved cape-scarf around his neck. He looked AWESOME-- like some sort of kitten superhero or something! 

 

And super cute, but it's not like Undyne will ever verbalize that thought because she's a fucking tsundere.

 

_OI! BEGONE, THOT!_

 

No you.

 

_...Bitch. I'm important to the story, fuck you._

 

"Fuhuhu! How do ya feel now, smalls?" Undyne inquires the skeleton happily. She was hoping he wouldn't just nod or attempt a smile again, because she wanted him to get used to speaking again so he wouldn't be as vulnerable, even though nobody would have any desire to hurt him in any shape or form. Despite their... lusty decisions, monsters still had very strong morals, and they despised anyone who just walked all over these morals like Papyrus had.

 

Sans looked up at her and simply blinked at her. Then he attempted to speak. "̷͎̪̂̉b̸̭̬̅͜e̴̤̔t̴̺͛͊ț̷̇̀e̸͚͐̄ŗ̷̑.̵͓̜̀ ̷̱͙̎͒̀ţ̷̇̈̈́h̴͎̬͋a̸̝̺̾̃n̴̥̪͙͑͑k̵̺̔̐ ̵̡̗̬̑y̵̢̛̥̒͌ō̷̱̃̄ư̷͔̐̊͜.̷̱͎̞͗͋̔"̷͈̈́͋̈́

 

She and Alphys were both shocked by the warped sounds Sans made, and they just barely understood the meaning behind those sounds that formed familiar syllables. Sans appeared confused by whatever expressions they might have been wearing at the moment, as if he thought they should've understood him.

 

"You shouldn't be thanking us, smalls!" Undyne says once she snapped out of her stupor.

 

"Sans, you deserve to be cared for like a SENTIENT BEING!" Alphys chimed in just as sternly.

 

When the smaller monster remains unconvinced, she silently strode over and swept him up, earning a surprised noise and long phalanges grasping at her arms with no real strength. That reminded her-- since he had been... limited in movement and magic use, they also needed to help him regain his ability to walk and run and control his magic and all of that good stuff.

 

...Physical therapy was going to be a bitch.

 

Sans quickly relaxed in her muscular arms, though, and nuzzled at the area under her chin like an attention-starved kitten, and she wasn't going to deny him that positive attention like that corrupt creature had. Undyne stroked at his bandaged skull, and her good eye widened she heard him rumble happily.

 

She looked over at Alphys questioningly, but the lizard just winked at her--  _ohmystarsAlphysstopbeingsohot_ \-- and shuffled off toward the kitchen. The laboratory had two parts: the true laboratory, and Alphys's "house". It definitely wasn't as homey as it probably should be, but knowing Alphys, she adored her nerdy lab-house. 

 

Undyne startled when Sans weakly headbutted her shoulder, almost as if he were demanding she continue "petting" him. She forced down the urge to coo over him like a complete wuss and resumed gently scratching at his coronal suture. 

 

**~~~**

 

"fresh, no. we are not blasting the door down."

 

Sans perked up when the heard a pleasantly deep, lilting voice, and he turned around in the wooden chair he was perched in to peek at the metal door that separated him from said-voice. He wondered if they were here to see  Alphys or Undne. Probably. Definitely. Nobody would go through Hotland to see his ugly mug. If it lived up to it's name, then he sincerely doubted many monsters come around for the climate. 

 

"c'mon brah! this ain't a fell 'verse, they wouldn't attack us if we did!" 

 

The other voice was noticeable higher-pitched than the other, maybe a mix between a baritone and a tenor, and the voice had a sort of cool-dude vibe to it. Haltingly, he wondered what his voice had sounded like before it was stashed away for years on end. 

 

He then acknowledged the topic, and grew nervous. Why would the blast the door down? Were they out to hurt Undyne and Alphys?

 

Sans felt something snap in him at the horrifying thought.

 

The young adult didn't notice when he'd gotten off the chair and walked over to the metal door, but he didn't care. The only thing on his mind was determination to protect the only monsters who had shown him any real love. 

 

"it's quite disrespectful, and do you think they would be very willing to help if we showed any hints of aggression?"

 

The door slid open to his command, and he immediately gathered what little magic he had and aimed it at the intruders, ignoring the strange tingling in his left eye socket as the familiar magic rushed through his marrow and curled around his bones like small vines.

 

He stared at the two monsters in mild shock, and they returned the favor. They were skeletons, but... he thought that he and his Owner were the last skeletons Underground.... Maybe his Owner had lied-- he had done that a lot.

 

One of the skeletons was floating a foot or two off the ground, and they looked like some sort of grim reaper, with the black cloak and the scythe attached to their back. The other one, however, was an absolute nightmare of clashing colors. There was no other way to describe them. He noted that the shades had exclamation marks on them. Interesting.

 

"woah." The reaper-looking one says mildly after a few moments of silence, and raises his hands in surrender. Much to Sans's surprise, white pinpricks of light appeared in each eye socket to replace the dark abysses. Did his own eye sockets do that, too? "relax, bud. we aren't your enemies." 

 

"c'mon, dawg! i was already attacked by this totally unradical dude beside me, i don't want another unfresh encounter today!" The colorful one, who he guessed was named Fresh, pleaded him. He continued to stare at them, but he slowly lowered his arm and let his magic die away. It was a good thing he did, because it sputtered out like a dying candle anyway.

 

Sans eyed them warily and backed away. "̵̯̆̏ẁ̷̜̕ͅh̶̦̪͌͋y̴̫͗ ̵̧͚͛͝ȁ̴ͅr̷̝̽e̶̼̓ ̷͈̜̀ÿ̴̧́o̵̪̎͑u̴̡͑̀ ̵̬̬͂ḩ̷̋e̶̡̹͂̆r̶̉ͅe̷̼̦̓?̷̮̜͑̋ ̸̡̠̊ẃ̶̯h̷̡͈̍̌a̶̞̅ṭ̶̪͗ ̷͈̠̌̕d̷̳͌o̷̼̼͆ ̶̛̫y̶̡͋̎ó̵͙̘͐u̴̲̍̔ ̶̖̇w̶̢̑̂ͅä̷̡́͠n̴̗͇͑t̴̛̬̏?̴͇͗̄"̵̙̅

 

He was annoyed by their shocked expressions. He knows his voice wasn't exactly the most pleasant thing to hear due to the strange warping sounds, but he wants answers, and he wants them  _now_.

 

The reaper seemed to sense this, as he spoke up. "we originally came here to talk to undyne, but i guess i don't need to anymore."

 

"̶͓́w̶̩͈̽͝h̷͈̐y̴͖̠̽́?̷̯̏̋"̴̼̹͒͝

 

"because you're right in front of me. you're sans, right?"

 

He hesitantly nodded in agreement while internally grimacing at the use of the word. Grim-reaper smiled a little and nodded. "figured, you're way too small to be a papyrus."

 

Sans violently flinched when he heard the very familiar name, and suddenly everything began to spin and turn dark and scary, and he didn't like it. _too dark, too dark, too dark, too dark, too dark!_

 

In between the flickering darkness, he realized he was on the ground and he was shaking so hard that he swore he heard his bones rattling. Or maybe that was just his soul pounding erratically behind his sternum. 

 

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe--!

 

"woah, broski! calm down, it's okay!" he gasped and tried to squirm away when he felt a pair of bony arms encircle his frail body and pull him into a equally bony sternum. 

 

"̸̡̬̱̦̈͛͝l̵͍̺̾̆̈́̕ͅȩ̷̨̳̈́t̴͓͍͐ ̶͙̾̄͑̓m̷̛͎̉̀̌è̸̦ ̴̜͚͐͝g̵̺̣̰͇̈ö̶̫́̍,̸̫̞̘̄͐̚͠ ̶̧̲̗́͝͝l̵̡̙̺̘̈́e̶̯̟̓̐̕t̶̠̗̋ ̸͙̐̏̚m̷͇͈͉̟͑̂͘͠ě̴͚̤̂͊̈́ ̶̱̫̲̣̈́̕ğ̸̰̇o̸͇̠,̷͉͚͆ ̷̢̤̟͌́̎̈l̴̢̮͖̟̽e̶̘̦̺͆̐͝ͅt̴̛̟̩̓̈ ̶̝̄͌͗͝ͅm̸̢̺̞͎̑̉͝e̴̟̝̋ ̷̹̯̭͈̌̌͛g̷̢̗̟̀̈́ͅŏ̷̡̭͖̽̔!̶̭̯͈͍̓̈́"̴͙̺̾̈́ he wails out desperately, but they just wouldn't LET HIM GO!

 

He didn't like being restrained.

 

_weak._

_pathetic._

_ugly._

_Worthless._

_dirty._

_disgusting._

_whore._

 

"NGAAAAAAH! Back off before I MAKE you, damn dirty PUNKS!"

 

Undyne had come to his aid. 

 

Sans finally found the strength to shove the shocked monster away and stumble toward the visibly angry fish. "̶͎͘u̵̗͌n̸̢̎d̶͙̉ẙ̴͉n̶̮͂e̴͙͂.̷͔̚.̵̗̌.̶̦̈́"̴̱̈́ He mewls quietly, and immediately nuzzled her shoulder when she wordlessly picked him up and held him close to her chest, protectively. He liked feeling protected-- it lit a warm and fuzzy feeling inside of him. He couldn't place the feeling, though.

 

"Shh, it's okay, Smalls." he merely rumbled in response, completely ignoring the stares of the foreign monsters burning into his back. How did they know him anyway? A better question would be WHY. Why did they want to find him? He wasn't completely stupid, he connected the dots that the reaper-skeleton made.

 

...It didn't matter. Undyne would protect him, right? She wouldn't let them hurt him, right? Of course not, she was too kind to let anyone be needlessly hurt, even a whore like himself.

 

With the comforting thought fresh in his mind, Sans let the world melt away into a friendly darkness, A darkness that wrapped around him like a gentle hug and warmed his bones. A darkness that allowed for rest and peace. 

 

"Don't worry, Smalls. You're safe with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the update was late. I had a lot of stuff going on in my life, and the finals in school are coming soon, so I've been booked. I've also been trying to run on three hours of sleep. That's a thing. A big thing.
> 
> UL Sans translations:  
> "better. thank you."  
> "why are you here? what do you want?"  
> "why?"  
> "let me go, let me go, let me go!"  
> "undyne..."
> 
> Well, ah, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Toodles, darlings~!


	7. Horrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions are finally answered, and we get a peek at what the other goofs are doing.

About an hour later found Undyne, a zonked out Sans, and their- ahem-- GUESTS gathered in the lab-home's living room while Alphys prepared some food in the kitchen. The fish hadn't taken her functioning eye off of the two odd skeletons, especially the freakishly colorful one. That nineties nightmare had made one helluva HUGE mistake when he caused her charge to feel even a shred of discomfort, and she would make sure he knew he was on her bad side.

 

The colorful skeleton squirmed under her unrelenting stare, beads of magic sweat rapidly rolling down the pristine white bone, and she inwardly snickered at him. He was such a wimp! Hell, even Sans had been less terrified when she had to glare at him to stop him from nibbling on his phalanges.

 

"̸̩͌u̷̟͂n̸̛ͅd̷̮̈ỵ̸͛n̸̙̉e̴͙͘,̶̳͊"̸͖͗ 

 

A gentle tug on her bangs caught her attention, and she looked down at the small monster in surprise. She thought he'd been asleep!

 

 "̵͖͑l̸̞̈e̷͍ḿ̴͈m̵̮e̸̥͝ ̵̡͋g̸̱̋o̵̧͋,̶̯̾ ̶̂͜i̸̘̇ ̶͎͐w̷̢̋ă̵̺n̵̪̍n̴̹͝a̵̦͂ ̷̰̉t̸͙̋a̵̭͠l̵̨̊ḳ̸̇ ̴͖͠t̸̤̊ǒ̶̙ ̵̦̈t̶͍̒ẖ̴̃ẻ̸͜m̸͕͐.̴̳̕"̶̳̅

 

She gnawed on her lip as she thought about this reasonably and carefully, unlike how she normally went about things all brash and rash.

 

It could boost his confidence, improve his movement, and/or improve his speech...

 

BUT...

 

It could cause him anxiety, to get hurt, and/or to get discouraged if speaking or walking fails him...

 

"̴͑ͅp̸̰̔l̴̲̐e̸͍͑ạ̸͑s̸̨̉e̷̥͆?̵̪"̶̩̚ Her charge pleaded her, even going as far as she give her an irresistible case of kitten eyes. Oh, who was she kidding? She may be the captain of the Royal Harem, but she could only take so much cuteness before she caved in and gave up trying to resist.

 

Undyne grumbled in defeat and loosened her grip on him. "Fine, Smalls." she addressed their guests when she continued. "You PUNKS better not give my charge any trouble, or I'll give you a LOT of it!" It was more of a promise than a threat, really. She's promised to protect Sans no matter what and she will stick to that promise.

 

The colorful one flinched and automatically nodded, while the grim-reaper one just lazily smiled and gave an okay sign. She supposed those were good enough answers...

 

Sans gave her a charmingly crooked grin, and scoots himself off her lap and off the couch, landing feet-first on the tiled floor with a muted clanking sound. His legs buckled a bit, but he managed to stand upright.

 

She watched her charge like a hawk as he lurched toward the other couch, where the other two skeletons resided. The captain was surprised by how well he was walking already, and it hadn't even been a full day. She bet he was going to be running by the end of the month at this rate!

 

He suddenly stumbles over the carpet and loses his balance. Undyne shot up to help him, but before she could do much else, a blue aura caught Sans just before his face collided with the floor, and lifted him off the ground. Undyne just gawked while her charge was gently deposited on the couch beside the two strange skeletons.

 

"careful there," The reaper-looking one says, and she assumes it had been his magic that caught her charge. "don't want you getting hurt, pal."

 

Sans completely ignored the comment, and got right up in the reaper-looking skeleton's face as he spat out questions. "̴̤͐ŵ̶̼h̶̡̄o̶̗͌ ̵̖̽a̷̗̽r̵͎̽e̶̼̽ ̵̩̚ŷ̸͜o̵̪͋ṵ̶̊?̵͓͌ ̶̣̚h̵̯̿ọ̵͛ẅ̷̟́ ̸̺͘d̴̥̈o̸̤͗ ̴͉̏y̶͉͝ŏ̸̲u̴̠̇ ̵̰̓k̶̻̈́n̶̘̅o̷͇̓w̶̩͂ ̴̖m̴̥͆e̸̙?̸͕͝ ̴͉w̵̮̽h̴̠̉a̷̖͋t̶̮͝ ̶̡̒d̸͕͝ö̴̢ ̶̮̃y̴͕͐ǒ̷͖u̵̙̽ ̵̝̃w̷̲̕a̸̠͋n̷͇̈́t̷̟́?̴͈̇"̶̰̚

 

"straight to the point, eh?" When the grim reaper only received a fixed stare and a one-eyed glare, he relented with a sigh. "alright, alright..."

 

The colorful one spoke up now, and Sans turned his attention onto him instead. "this might sound totally bunk, but we're you, broski, just from different universes! we gotta come up with radical nicknames so we don't get confused and all'a that jazz! i'm called fresh and my radical dawg here is death! we came here to ask ya dudes for some help, but--"

 

"Universes?" Undyne interrupted him with a frown, and Sans seemed to share her confusion. "Mind explaining that a bit better, punk?"

 

Now "Death" as he was called took back the reins, elaborating more clearly. "every choice one makes opens up a new alternate universe where you choose a different option, and one little thing going differently can change everything."

 

"fresh, here, has his own universe, where a virus took over and made them all like this." He gestured to the colorfully dressed skeleton, whom looks displeased at the chosen example. "no alternate universe is exactly the same. some have huge differences, like 'fell, 'tale, and 'swap. you are one of these universes, and we dubbed you as 'lust. getting it now?"

 

Undyne glanced at her charge, whom met her stare evenly, and then nodded to the monster. "Sure, yeah, whatever."

 

"now can i ask a question?" 

 

"Shoot."

 

"what happened here?"

  

The guppy winced and looked at Sans. "Hey smalls, why don't you go help Alphys in the kitchen for a little while?" She prompted. Sans gave her a knowing frown, and hopped off the couch, clumsily making his way to the kitchen to help out said-lizard.

 

She turned her attention back to the two skeletons, and with a weary sigh, she started from the beginning.

 

**~~~**

 

Underswap Papyrus-- Honey, as he was called nowadays-- was a bright orange lamp while the overly affectionate characters surrounded him and talked to him. One of them had even attached themselves to his arm and were nuzzling him, much to his very clear embarrassment. 

 

Meanwhile, the Underfell brothers-- Cherry and Edge-- the Swapfell brothers-- Raspberry and Slim-- and Undertale Sans-- Classic-- were all laughing their bony asses off at the poor skeleton's expense, while Underswap Sans-- Blueberry-- Undertale Papyrus-- Rus-- Ink, and Paint scolded them thoroughly, not that they were actually even LISTENING.

 

Some of the alternates were just watching in the background, and among this group were Rose, Golden, the Outertale brothers-- Outer and Space-- the Dancetale brothers-- Dance and Tango-- the Mafiatale brothers-- Skull and Sniper-- the Echotale brothers-- Echo and Green-- Aftertale Sans-- Geno-- and Genocide Papyrus-- Cide-- Freshtale Papyrus-- Rad-- and Reapertale Papyrus-- Painless.

 

Rus looked appalled by his sibling's lack of manners. "BROTHER, IT IS QUITE RUDE TO LAUGH AT SOMEONE ELSE'S PREDICAMENT!"

 

"s-sorry-- snrk--'m sorry, bro."  Classic didn't seem all that apologetic as he struggled to support Cherry and Slim. He was probably the shortest of them all, only standing at about four feet tall, so it was pretty hard to hold up monsters that were taller than him.... Which was basically almost everyone.

 

"G-guys? Can you maybe _stop laughing_  and help a skeleton out?!" Honey barks out anxiously.

 

Geno, having had just about enough of watching this nonsense go on, pulled all of the monsters away from Honey and detached the clingy bunny from his arm with blue magic, and began pushing the still-flushed skeleton toward the group. "we gotta stop messin' around, guys. we're here for a reason!" The internally-bleeding monster says above the scolding and laughter.

 

"geno's right, everybody!" Ink agreed, clapping his hands to get their attention. "we gotta focus!"

 

Honey mutters a "thank you" to Geno, whom just shrugs and gives him a smile in response, and the 'Swap monster walks over to stand beside his brother.

 

"Let Us Get A Move On, Then!" Paint says cheerfully, and then turned around to see a tall skeleton monster watching them with pink, heart-shaped eye-lights. They were dressed very... interestingly. They must be this universe's Papyrus, and he looked unhappy to see them for some reason.

 

The skeleton then smiled charmingly and stepped forward, cocking his hip. "Hello, Handsome Strangers. What Brings You Lot Around~?" 

 

**~~~**

 

"...And that's everything I know." The Undyne finished up the horrifying explanation.

 

Both Fresh and himself were shocked by the actions of this universe's Papyrus. They'd thought no Papyrus could ever hurt another living or nonliving creature, but they were DEAD WRONG. To coop someone up and abuse and use them like that... It was AWFUL, it was EVIL, it was just so fucking DISGUSTING.

 

"...where's this universe's papyrus?" Fresh suddenly asks with a dark tone and blank glasses, and Death scooted away a little, nervous. When the colorful abomination dropped his dated lingo, shit hits the ceiling. Whoever made Fresh angry like this was basically BEGGING him for a bad time. In this case, this universe's Papyrus better watch the flying fuck out.

 

"Dunno." She shrugs, looking just as disgusted and angry, but Death heard a hint of sadness in her voice. That's right... All Undynes and Papyruses, no matter if the universe was 'Swap or 'Tale or 'Fell, had a sort of companionship. He couldn't even imagine how betrayed the poor gal felt right now. "We left as soon as I had Sans safely in my arms."

 

Their conversation was halted when the skeleton of topic and the Alphys came from the kitchen with food cooked up and readied for consumption. 

 

The lizard scurries over to them and hands him and Fresh their plates, and does the same with Undyne. She helps the tortured Sans up onto the couch and handed him his plate, and then she finally got onto the couch with her own plate, relaxing back against the cushions with a sigh.

 

They all ate in tense silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this was late and a bit short. I have no excuses this time, I really don't. All I can say is that I've been really, really lazy.


	8. Apologies

Heya, guys.

This is extremely late.

Very, VERY late.

Like, several weeks late, I think.

I'm so sorry for the long pause, but I think I might have to discontinue this story, at least momentarily. I've lost my spark for it, and it'll take a bit to relight again. Just be patient with me, okay? Most of my other stories face the same fate, except for the one coming soon: Destroyedtale. It's an AU I created on a roleplay server. The slight concept might have been used before, correct me if I'm wrong, but this is completely, one-hundred-percent different. It's all based around Undyne.

 

Anyway, yeah, this will be discontinued momentarily until I find the spark again. Shouldn't take TOO long, though. Hopefully.

 

Bye-ya until next time~!


	9. Calm and Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PING!
> 
> ...He fucked up.

Oh, you're back? Uh-- okay, okay. I think I have the files-- aha! Here they are! Okay. Now, let us continue with this story.  
  


**FILE.EXE... LOADED!**

 

Currently, Undyne was fighting with Death on an important matter-- what was going to happen to Sans?

 

See, Death had offered to take Sans with them so he would be protected by a literal army of monsters. On one hand, as Death pointed out, Sans would more than likely get some physical and magical training.

 

On the other hand, as Undyne shouted out-- "He might be hurt!"

 

Death shot back a simple response. "not if he stays behind in the base with some of the guys who never fight, like blue and rus."

 

"We don't know who you are, we don't know if you're telling the truth, we don't know what will happen to him once he's in your hands!" Was Undyne's returning argument.

 

"and is he any safer here, where the douche'll do anything to get him back?" Was Death's.

 

"He's one monster, the royal guard-- plus anyone else who helps-- can subdue one monster!"

 

"one monster can do a lot more than ya think, 'dyne. besides, how are ya gonna subdue him? ya gonna dust him?"

 

"..."

 

"and do ya have magic-repressing collars?"

 

"...No, but--"

 

"then he'll never be subdued. not for real, anyway. i understand where you're coming from, dyne. i do, i have a bro of my own. optimistic guy, yanno? i want to protect him against anything and everything-- keep him away from the fighting and the goddamn responsibilities we have as reapers, but i gotta remind myself that he's an adult. he makes his own choice, and his was to keep going with his responsibility. keep going with reaping souls and keep fighting in the war. let sans choose what he wants to do."

 

"..."

 

...Sans glanced from Death-- Fresh had suspiciously left a while ago, but he just disregarded it-- to Undyne, completely lost. On one hand, he wanted to stay with Undyne and Alphys in Underlust, but then again, he really did need to be able to fend for himself so he's not such a goddamn burden to everyone. He needs to be faster, smarter, stronger, better... He needs to--

 

""̵.̸.̸.̵i̵'̶l̴l̴ ̸g̵o̴ ̵w̸i̷t̸h̴ ̴t̸h̸e̵m̸.̷.̶.̸"

 

"..." A sigh. "Okay."

 

Undyne glanced at Death, almost desperate. "...Maybe I could come with you guys?.."

 

Alphys, who had been quiet the entire time, now spoke up, walking over and grabbing Undyne's hand. "No Undyne, we need you here."

 

"But--"

 

"he'll be safe with us, i swear on whatever deities are above."

 

The fish's shoulders slumped in defeat, crouching down to hug the small skeleton close as she could, nuzzling the top of his head a bit. "...Fine. Just--"

 

"one of us'll swing by and take ya to him whenever we're all free to. maybe one day he can come back. as of now, though..."

 

An accepting nod, and Death opened a rift.

 

"come on, sans."

 

~~~

 

Almost all of the Sans's-- or Swap Papyrus's-- instantly stepped in front of their brothers in a battle-ready way, staring at the scantily dressed, tall skeleton. They immediately saw right through that facade.

 

"er... who might you be?" Ink asked the new skeleton, somewhat put off by the others' behaviors. Seriously, what the guy do wrong? All he did was greet them...

 

"I Am The Papyrus Of This Universe, Of Course. I'm Called Charm By Other AU-Hoppers, Though."

 

Blueberry nudged past his brother, and hopped over to Charm, extending his gloved hand with a bright smile. "Hello there! I'm the MAGNIFICENT Sans from Underswap! Or Blueberry now, I guess! Mweh heh heh!"

 

Charm took the hand and kissed his knuckles, smiling. "Pleasure~"

 

...Blueberry.EXE has crashed!

 

Suddenly, Charm was face-first in the ground, thanks to a very... VERY livid Fresh, whose glasses were off, the SOUL in his left eye socket glowing-- no... It was FLAMING.

 

**"s u p ,   y o u   a b u s i v e   p i e c e   o f   s h i t . . ?"**

 

"fresh, wai--"

 

An ENCOUNTER began.

 

...The scantily-dressed skeleton pressed CHECK.

 

> **Underfresh Sans**
> 
> **LV-- File corrupted**
> 
> **HP-- File corrupted**
> 
> **DEF-- ???   ATK ???**
> 
> **EXP ???  
> ** **  
> *...The virus is determined to end this for good.**

 

...Charm knew, at that moment--

 

PING!

 

...He fucked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will hopefully be longer. I'm so sorry, I'm running low on ideas again.


End file.
